Colic rules Aucunrisque out of quick return in Kingwell Hurdle

Simon Milham
February 14, 2023 3:57 pm

Straight to Cheltenham now for Betfair Hurdle hero.

Betfair Hurdle hero Aucunrisque will miss the Wincanton Jennings Bet Kingwell Hurdle on Saturday after a bout of colic.

The seven-year-old was an impressive winner at Newbury, part of a big TV double for trainer Chris Gordon.

While in such ripe form, Gordon was hoping to strike while the iron was hot, but plans have had to be revised after the Goodwin Racing Ltd-owned gelding was one of five horses at the yard to come down with colic.

Gordon said: “He had colic. We had a new batch of haylage and we had five horses go down with it.

Aucunrisque leading the Betfair Hurdle field (Tim Goode/PA)

“He is all good and will live to fight another day, and so we won’t be running on Saturday.

“Everyone thinks everything is flying when you are having winners. Two were struggling a wee bit today, but they are good. We sorted it and the haylage has been changed – it was about 40 bales.

“Basically, colic is one of those things where they can get a twisted gut and it would require surgery, but with this, it is probably just a bad bale. They get chronic wind and it gets trapped a bit. It is just really bad stomach ache.

“So Aucunrisque won’t be going to Wincanton – he’ll go straight to Cheltenham and if we need to, we can always give him a racecourse gallop. We will look at the Grand Annual and the County Hurdle.”